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"She likes butterflies, and most of her world revolves around dancing and performing. Oh, and her favorite color is purple."
"All right then, I think I can work with that. Does he know I'm coming?"
"I was going to talk to them tonight. We had a family dinner last night and didn't get home till late, so I wanted to wait until he was in a good mood. Are you available tomorrow night for dinner? Only if you can, I know you're busy, and it might not line up with your schedule."
"Tomorrow night is perfect. I'm home for the week staying with my mom. I want to see him as much as I can before I have to head back to LA."
I know it's stupid, but I want it to be me he wants to see as much as he can. I know how hard this week is going to be already. Just talking to him has feelings starting to resurface. And they can't. This has to be a purely platonic co-parenting arrangement. "Well, okay, I’m sure we can arrange that.”
“All right. I'll see you then, Millie."
"Yeah, see you then, Heath." I hang up the phone, smiling like a silly schoolgirl after the boy I'm crushing on just called. I need to get all of this emotional shit in check before tomorrow. I text him my mobile number so he has it and doesn't have to call the office again.
When I look up, Summer is standing in my doorway. "Was thattheHeath Riley? The superstar," she gushes, barely able to contain her excitement.
I take a deep breath. Summer is the best assistant and friend I have, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hide this from her for long, but until now, it's just been my family that has known. I tried to call Declan when I found out as well, but his phone had been disconnected, and it was the only contact I had for him when he left. I wasn’t even sure what town he was moving to with the new girl, so without it, I had no way of telling him. The kids and I haven't heard a thing from him in four years, so I guess now I will wait for him to decide to grace us with his presence, if he ever does, and then I'll fill him in. "The one and only." I grin back at her.
She comes into my office, closing the door behind her. "I think you need to fill me in. Why the hell did he just call here asking for you, and how do I get an autograph?"
I fill her in on all the details of the past three months. She is pissed at me for hiding it from her but understands why.
Oncewe’reinforthe night, after running around to sport and dance and the kids have food in front of them, I take my opportunity to talk to them. "I wanted to ask you guys something," I announce across the dinner table.
Connor looks up from the spaghetti he has been pushing around his plate for the past twenty minutes, and Ruby stands, coming around to where I’m sitting, wheedling her way in for a hug. She has ants in her pants, and it's still impossible to get her to sit at mealtimes. I play with her hair, not really minding her extra hugs.
"I didn't leave the cheese on the counter, it was Connor," she whines, thinking she's in trouble and trying to suck up to me.
"I didn't do it, it was Ruby. I don't even have cheese on mine," he snaps back, getting irritated.
"Actually, I think it was me," I admit with a smile. My mind is so out of it that normal daily activities are just not happening how they should this week. "This isn't about the cheese being left out," I tell them, trying to defuse a fight before it escalates. "This is about someone coming to dinner tomorrow night."
"Do you have a lover? My friend from school, Stacy, her mom has a lover," says Ruby, and I can tell she's hoping I do so she has something to tell her friend.
I look at her, surprised by the question. Where the hell she comes up with this shit I have no idea. Maybe I need to pay more attention to the kids she is making friends with. I don't love the sound of this Stacy. "No, he's not my lover. Don't go around saying that either, Ruby."
"My friend Stacy is telling everyone," she says smugly, like she knows better than me.
"Well, she probably shouldn't be," I tell her bluntly, needing to get this back on track.
Connor just shakes his head, uninterested in Ruby's gossip. "Who’s coming to dinner, Mom?"
I turn to him, giving him my full attention. "Remember we talked after you broke your arm about the blood tests and who your biological father is?"
His lips purse together as he thinks over what I just said. "Your high school boyfriend, Heath."
"Yes, it has been hard to get in contact with him, but now that I have, he wants to meet you. Do you think that would be okay?"
"I guess." He shrugs like he couldn’t care either way.
"So he was your lover in high school?" Ruby asks, a cheeky smile on her face.
"Ruby, stop using that word," I snap, my nerves already on edge, and that is the last thing I need her to say when Heath is here tomorrow. She has no idea what the word even means and is pushing me to the point of insanity this week when I'm already frazzled. "And definitely don't say it tomorrow when Heath is here," I tell her, making sure she understands this is a hard no.
Her eyes go wide. "Okay."
I take a breath, trying to calm myself down. "There is something else as well, but I don't want either of you to make a big deal of this. Heath is just a regular guy, okay?"
"Okay," they both say.
